


The Reply

by bobostxrk



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Established Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt Tony Stark, M/M, Tony Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:27:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21845158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobostxrk/pseuds/bobostxrk
Summary: Tony replies to Steve's letter.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 58





	The Reply

Steve was roaming in the gardens of the Wakandan palace when he heard his kimoye bead beep, alerting him.

It was from T'Challa.

He quickly clicked the button and answered the call:

"Your Highness."

"Captain, it appears you've got a reply to your message."

Steve feels his heart stop beating and he feels his eyes open wide instinctively. 

Tony wrote back to him.

It had been almost a month since he wrote Tony that letter and sent him the burner phone. He never expected a reply and well, now that he did in fact get one, he was ecstatic and frankly, a little overwhelmed.

"Captain?"

Steve's dragged out of this thoughts by the voice.

He looks back at the holoprojection of the King, who looks rather amused, and:

"You better come here quickly then. I think this is important."

Before Steve knew it, he raced back to the palace, feed thudding and heart pounding as he ran up stairs and through hallways to reach the King's private audience hall which was in the far northeast wing.

The serum did it's full work, enabling Steve to be there in no time as he came to an almost undignified screeching halt in front of the King.

The King whooped around to look at Steve before giving him a small smirk and handing him the box, which had FEDEX tapes wrapped around it.

"Thank you, your Highness."

"I wish you good luck, Captain."

The King clasped a hand to Steve's shoulder and squeezed it slightly, in a reassuring gesture, before leaving Steve alone.

Steve set the box down on the table in front of him and stared at in blind awe.

He couldn't believe that Tony wrote back to him. He just couldn't.

Part of him might've wished that Tony did earlier but hey, he can't complain because Tony's not the one who walked out.

In one single flick of his index finger, Steve slices the tape open and pulls out the cardboard sleeve of the box and empties the contents onto the table with a sudden jerk, impatiently.

All that comes out is a letter.

A letter that's been wrapped and sealed in an azure envelope, with its beautiful creases and folds. 

There is a single handwritten entry on it, in a morph of scribble and calligraphy, spelling out: "Steve"

Steve smiles at the script, knowing exactly how Tony's handwriting wavers from beautiful calligraphy in his signatures to haphazard scribbling whenever he was working on something in his workshop and needed to jot the idea down or do math, which always flew over Steve's head.

Steve tears the top off and picks the letter out with the ball of his thumb and his fingers, undoing the folds of the sheets of crisp white paper to read and unravel it's contents:

The script is near flawless and looks so beautiful that Steve knows Tony took his time to write this down and elucidate his feelings, which was good. It was better than Tony drowning his sorrows in alcohol and sleeplessness, at this point, all tantamount to Steve's doing.

"Steve,

"Firstly, I want to apologize for everything that happened between us. I realize that I reacted impulsively out of my own grief and that it wasn't right. After much pondering and therapy sessions, I figured out what needed to be done. So, I'm sorry about probably everything since day one.

"Siberia was probably the biggest revelation for me and my actions justify that. You know about my relationship with my parents and how it's always affected me, right from the time I was a child. I lost my cool and reacted aggressively towards you and Barnes, because I was overcome by my PTS, which triggered me violently.

"I'm sorry about Barnes' arm. Well, he did try ripping out the arc reactor and I guess I just lost it... I didn't know what I was doing.. I'm sorry about that. Anyway, I patched up a prototype for a new one. Tell him I'll send it soon as sort of an apology, if not a peace offering. Unless the Wakandans have already given him a vibranium model. Regardless, I'll send the first model soon.

"You know, I thought a lot about our situation and I think I came to a final decision, Steve. 

"Ever since I was little, I was always last to be considered. By my parents. By my "friends". By everyone frankly. I was always considered last, and, after I met you and we got hitched, well, I was sceptical of dissimilar treatment. Untill after a while, I thought that okay, someone might finally think I was valid to them. Like, for once, someone has accepted me. And you know, after aeons of fighting against the world, I was happy that someone did. I felt glad that I found it in the most unusual place and that made it all the more better.

"And after what I found out in that bunker, I realized I'm still last. Even to you. If you really did know me well, you'd know that I would have done everything in my power to help you find your friend. Sure, it would've taken me a while to consider it, but you knew Steve, you knew that I would have done ANYTHING for you. And this was long before Sokovia or the Accords. Long before, our team's situation was compromised. 

"I know I'll never be able to take Barnes' place and I never did. I know the two of you have history together and I adore and respect that but I cannot live a life where I was lied to for years about the biggest truth of my life. I can't live with being considered last again. For years, I always hated Howard thinking that he was the reason why I lost my mom. All she wanted to do was go to the Bahamas. You know, this kind of ate me alive for years and frankly at this point, I'm too exhausted to try and I'm too tired to even think right now. I'm tired, Steve. I'm just tired. I know you don't believe in the Accords but I'm still working on them. Once you guys are back, I hope the edited version appeals to you and I'm making my decision to retire from the Avengers. I can't stay. I don't think I can after everything that's happened. 

"So, yeah, the papers are in the back. I already signed it. I want you to as well. 

Steve flipped over the sheet to reveal the signature below a long script below a heading in cursive font: 

"Annulment of Matrimony".

Steve's mouth was agape as he stared at the letters, trying to make sense of it. 

"I sent this to Wakanda because I don't know where exactly you are right now but I do know that you were there. I just hope you get this as quickly as you can because I want to get this over with. You don't need to be here for the hearing. And don't worry, no one's going to prosecute you or try to hunt you down because it's the family lawyer taking care of this for us. 

"I've got your toys and they're safe. I hope you guys stay safe too. I wish you and the rest of them good luck. 

"Tony."

Steve couldn't believe what he read. He just couldn't.

There were blotches on the paper where Steve might've cried, distorting the writing and smudging the ink.

Tony truly thought they were beyond repair.

And it was all Steve's fault.

He crumbled to the ground as he clutched the paper close, his whole body shuddering as he let out muffled sobs.


End file.
